i need info

I have a chance to buy a civil war colt for $1200 the guy that has it says he can trace its leanage back to a ssg in the war...i keep hearing how Mr. Colt kept meticulous records of his craft but i cant seem to find a serial number list of any kind so does any one know about .36 civil war colts a price guide and how i can make sure its not just a decorative repop ( i dont know yet if it is a 51 , 61 or a 71 army/navy ) souch details come at the end of the week when i get to see it

#2. With antique firearms, condition drives worth MASSIVELY. The difference between a 10% gun and an 80% gun is about 1,000% of the value.

You need to ask, how did the seller come to be able to obtain the provenance (documented history) of the gun? Is he a serious collector, a dealer in antique arms- or he is Joe Schmuck? I know one dealer that if he told me he had Bobby Lee's personal belly gun, I would believe it without seeing it. Know another "dealer" I would not believe if he had a photo of Sam Colt holding the gun.

Ty c3 im just starting to collect antique arms i have collected & delt in 'modern' arms for quite some time and other than repops ie: gen 2/3 colts this is the first ( authentic?) colt that has came my way and i have seen very good fakes made from a 1990s fp repop

I know cheese im trying to really watch my 6 on this and i just found out that if you google Colt serial numbers it will take you to a link set up by ( the new colt after the 2003 separation ) to where you can surch there database for active colt numbers and if yours dont show up any results then they give you a number to call them direct ( might prove to help in the authentication process ) as far as a $ value goes im going with c3 on this one and buying the gun not the story

Those old colt's had just about every piece with the serial number on it. Frame, cylinder, wedge, everything. there is so much to know about them that some guys specialize in just one or two models. We will all gladly help you but alot has to be done in person. Every collector carries a magnifier in his pocket for a reason.